Vanillekipferl (vanilla crescent biscuits)

Preparation

1. Quickly knead the flour, icing sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, cold butter in small pieces and ground almonds by hand into a firm dough.
2. Shape the dough into a roll about 4 to 5 cm thick, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 175 °C fan. Divide the dough roll into equal pieces and roll these out on a floured work surface into finger-thick ropes of 1 to 1.5 cm.
4. Cut 2 to 3 cm lengths from the ropes and bend them by hand into small crescents, rolling the ends a little thinner.
5. Place the Kipferl on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until light brown.
6. Mix the icing sugar and vanilla sugar for rolling, turn the still-warm Kipferl in it and then let them cool completely.

Drink with it

• Sweet wine · excellent match

  Beerenauslese, Ruster Ausbruch or Riesling Auslese

  The wine is sweeter than the biscuit so the biscuit does not taste flat; notes of honey and dried fruit meet the almond and vanilla, and the acidity lifts the butter from the palate.

  Which wine goes with dessert? Comparing sweetness deliberately ↗

• Cream liqueur · excellent match

  Egg liqueur (Eierlikör) neat in a small glass, or Irish cream over ice

  Vanilla and cream in the liqueur pick up the vanilla sugar of the Kipferl, and the creamy fullness suits the crumbly butter dough.

• Mellow whisky · good match

  Mild Speyside or Highland whisky, neat with a splash of water

  Honey, vanilla and malt notes of the mild whisky mirror the butter and vanilla sugar of the biscuits.

  Whisky with food: cheese, chocolate, and savory dishes ↗